Bennett students completing their sixth form studies this year have shown extraordinary resilience and tenacity to complete their courses in the face of two periods of national lockdown and the accompanying uncertainty about how grades would eventually be awarded. Their strong results bear witness not only to how hard they have worked as individuals but also to their character. Throughout their time in the sixth form at Bennett they have also made an exceptionally strong contribution to our corporate life as a school, setting a strong example to their peers particularly in how they responded to the disruption wrought by COVID-19. The results which they have achieved in the face of this adversity have now opened wide the doors to some of the most sought-after university courses as well as other exciting destinations.

Headteacher Jon Sparke commented: “We are so proud of all our students. They have persisted in the face of considerable adversity and through it all have shown real positivity and determination.”

“Our results this year compare very strongly to the excellent track record that the school has established in sixth form achievement, albeit they were arrived at in a way that was very different to usual. It should be remembered that what matters most is the strong foundation of knowledge, understanding and character, that all of our students have built up over seven years of schooling, and which they take with them into their next stages of study and personal development.”

There were very many examples of outstanding individual achievement which include two students, Emily Boarer and Benjamin Finch taking up highly coveted places to study computer science, with Emily set to study at the University of Cambridge and Benjamin at the University of Exeter. Sofia Franklin’s stellar work in biology, chemistry and mathematics means that she is off to study medicine at the University of Southampton.

As the school expected from this high performing cohort, we saw a high proportion of students achieving strings of straight A and A* grades, for example Matthew Coffin with top-notch outcomes in mathematics, further mathematics and physics. Bennett’s traditional high value curriculum means that students have accessed further study in an exciting and diverse range of fields, including: Oscar Smith who will read for a degree in Classics at the University of Oxford, Rosie Warwood is set to study fine art at the University of Edinburgh; Isaac Strand reading for a degree in aerospace engineering at Bath; Beni Phipps whose outstanding diploma and A level results have given access to a highly-prized degree course in film production at Canterbury, George Young reading for a history degree at the University of Southampton and Amy Holman who is off to study psychology and philosophy at the University of Reading.

Mr Sparke explained: “This is a very resilient group of students whose approach to the challenges of this year has been genuinely admirable. You only have to look at the strong numbers who have completed the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award whilst still at school, despite the difficult circumstances of orchestrating expeditions and volunteering, to see their grit. Every single one of these results has been achieved in the face of some significant adversity, with students remaining committed to their studies in order to sustain their courses as the country went into lockdown. We wish all our Bennett students completing their sixth form this year every success for the next stage of their education.”